John said his advocate had been brilliant at listening to him and helping him think through what he wanted to do.

In this post, we share a real-life account of how contacting an advocacy service, really did save a life…

Community Mental Health AdvocacyJohn was a man with depression who moved into a Housing Association flat and found his mental health suffered when he ran into difficulties in his relationship with his landlord. John had invested a lot of his own money improving the property. However, contact from his housing officer led him to understand that unless he undertook repairs to his home and garden which he couldn’t afford, he would lose his property.

John felt his mental health deteriorating to a worse level than it had been for many years and he was concerned that he would again begin to feel suicidal. His level of distress was such that he found communicating about his problem to anyone very difficult. The benefits office suggested that he contact A4MHD. After a brief involvement from an advocate (one meeting and a few phone calls) John’s problems were resolved. He had made a complaint about the threats of eviction which was resolved to his satisfaction and accessed a housing support worker. John said that he felt his advocate had been brilliant at listening to him and helping him think through what he wanted to do. John said that A4MHD helped prevent a difficult situation escalate into an impossible one.